Our state isn’t becoming a ‘Third World dumping ground,’ is it?
Steve Collins
Columnist
Steve Collins became an opinion columnist for the Maine Trust for Local News in April of 2025. A journalist since 1987, Steve has worked for daily newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Maine and served as the State House reporter for the Sun Journal since 2016. The Maine Press Association named him Maine's Journalist of the Year in 2022. Among his other awards are the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2016 Ethics in Journalism Award, the I.F. Stone Whistle-Blower Award in 2015 and the Bob Wallack Community Journalism Award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association. Steve is a founder and board president of Youth Journalism International, a charity that teaches students around the globe about news writing, media literacy and issues of the day. His wife, Jackie Majerus, serves as its executive director. Born in Massachusetts, he grew up in a military family that took him to Norway, Ohio and Virginia, where he earned a degree in history from the University of Virginia. He and Jackie live in Auburn. They have two adult children, two collies and not enough time.
Posted inOpinion, Steve Collins
Remembering Bill Diamond, Maine’s ‘one true statesman’
Diamond’s long career showed us the value of tackling tough issues with civility and a spirit of bipartisanship.
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion, Steve Collins
Susan Collins should quit the Republican Party | Steve Collins
The party Sen. Collins long knew and admired is utterly unrecognizable today. I believe Maine voters would reward her for acting on that reality.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion, Steve Collins
The happy reality is that Maine’s finances are in good shape | Steve Collins
An upgraded bond rating and a $152 million surplus are undeniable signs of good stewardship.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion, Steve Collins
‘From away’ shouldn’t be an insult for those who choose to live in Maine | Steve Collins
It’s actually just a way of saying we’re an attractive enough place that people want to come, some to stay.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion, Steve Collins
Yes, Nirav Shah is enough of a Mainer to serve as governor | Steve Collins
Maine’s residency requirement shouldn’t be an issue for the former Maine CDC director. That doesn’t mean opponents won’t push it.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion, Steve Collins
Good in a crisis, Dr. Nirav Shah could be a promising candidate for anything | Steve Collins
The former head of the Maine CDC is weighing a run for governor. Why stop there?
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion, Steve Collins
A fix is needed so candidates won’t shun public financing for governor’s race | Steve Collins
Too much busywork and too little money going to candidates are among the issues that need to be looked at with Maine’s Clean Election Act program.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion, Steve Collins
Republicans are out to get Janet Mills | Steve Collins
Recent allegations as to some form of shadowy past feel a little desperate to me.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion, Steve Collins
Could Susan Collins 2026 go the way of Margaret Chase Smith 1972? | Steve Collins
The challenge that ended the Maine senator’s career half a century ago is worth another look.